Touring the Warehouse
Story Notes *Date of Story: January 12, 2017 *Character(s) Involved: Megan Wilcoxson, Sarah Holmes, Arthur Neilson, Claudia Donovan, Mrs. Fredric and Mr. Kosan. This story is the introduction of the new Agent, Sarah Holmes, to the Warehouse. It delves deep into her character, as well as briefly mention what little she knows about where she came from. The Tour “Miss Holmes, welcome to Warehouse 13.” Artie said, opening the door for the first time to Sarah. “So, this is Warehouse 13, huh?” Sarah said, as she stood just outside Artie’s Office, staring at the massive storage area for the first time. “Officially, it’s K39ZZZ on the North American Grid,” Artie said, as he walked up next to her. “But I like to refer to it as ‘America’s Attic’.” “This is an attic?” asked Sarah, surprised at the size of it. “I’d like to see the basement.” “That's actually the same nickname as the Smithsonian,” said a voice. Turning around, she saw a girl with red hair and a silver streak standing at the door. She was wearing a Sailor Moon shirt and loose blue jeans. Sarah thought she looked fairly young, maybe late teens or early twenties. “No basement or attic, just a bunch of stuff. Except the things at the Smithsonian can’t cause any harm to people.” “I think I remember you . . . .” said Sarah, thinking hard. “Weren’t you here when I arrived?” “Yeah, I found you in the field outside the Warehouse when I was checking the F.I.S.H.,” the girl explained. “My name is Megan. Megan Wilcoxson.” “Sarah. Sarah Mycroft Holmes. But you can call me Sari.” “Well, it’s time for your tour of the Warehouse,” started Artie, but a device on the desk began buzzing. Sarah knew it was some sort of communications device that the people here used, although the device itself looked rather simplistic. Sarah almost thought of hacking into the main frame in order to see how it works, but didn't think it would fly with the boss. “Oh, that must be Pete and Myka. Hopefully their trip to the Bahamas is going smoothly. Megan, would you mind giving Sarah the tour?” “Sure!” Megan said, excitement in her voice. “Come on, Sari! Let’s begin the tour!” Grabbing her arm, she dragged Sarah down the stairs and into the shelves. ---- “So, why aren’t all of these stored more securely?” asked Sarah, noticing how many of them were just sitting on the shelves. She felt a nagging familiarity about artifacts, but mostly how dangerous they were. And the tags she saw didn’t help that fear. Telekinetic torture . . . . Decapitating victims . . . . Turning victims into glass . . . . “Well, not all artifacts are bad,” explained Megan. “Granted, all of the artifacts here are here for safety’s sake, but there are some which can be used and are actually helpful. Of course, you have to watch what you use. But there are plenty of artifacts whose effects are beneficial, or simply weird. Here, take a look at this one.” She walked over to a shelf with a conch shell on it. The tag read, Easter Island Conch Shell: Allows users to breathe underwater. Seemed harmless enough. “But what about this Dog Whistle?” Sarah asked, walking across the aisle to the other side. The tag read, Dog Whistle: Summons locusts. DO NOT BLOW WHISTLE. Damage to nearby farms will be catastrophic. “This seems pretty dangerous to leave lying around.” “There is one thing you haven’t considered,” Megan said. “Artifacts usually require a person to activate. In the case of this Dog Whistle, you need to blow it. The people here don’t use artifacts which can cause damage like this. Honestly, even the safest artifacts could cause damage if you use them wrong. For example, the Conch Shell lets you breathe underwater. But it won’t protect you from the pressure underwater. But if you can breathe underwater, would you think about whether or not you can survive the pressure until it is too late?” “I guess . . . .” Sarah said, unconvinced. “I still think it’s dangerous.” “Well, we do have safety precautions of all types, and the artifacts are stored based on how to keep them calm. Of course, some of the most dangerous artifacts are stored with extreme caution. The Dark Vault, for example. But that’s not a place you want to see.” Seeing that Sarah didn’t look convinced, Megan took her over to the Urban Legend Sector. There were many strange looking artifacts. But they came to one area which had a massive cell covered in a giant purple cloth. Given its size, Sarah was quite surprised that it was stored on the floor. “What is that?” Sarah asked, feeling an eerie sense from it. “It seems awfully contained considering how the other artifacts around here are stored.” “This is probably one of the most dangerous artifacts we have in storage,” Megan said, staying far back, though Sarah thought she seemed rather repulsed overall by the surrounding artifacts. “It’s called the Link Statue. This . . . . thing can cause paranoia and insanity, leading to eventual suicide. It also has the ability to teleport on its own, and its aura is so malicious that it caused artifact disturbances in the Dark Vault.” “If it’s that dangerous, why not destroy it?” she asked. “I mean, if it’s that bad, surely that would be the best thing?” “Well, this was indeed one case where the Regents had authorized its destruction, considering that we don’t ever destroy artifacts if we can help it. Except that it . . . . disagreed with that fate. It killed that person. So, in order to properly contain it and make sure it can’t cause any trouble, the Regents had Claudia develop this. It’s a six-level containment cell with a constant neutralizer flow. This makes sure that it remains inactive and protects those who pass buy.” “But if it can teleport, how do you know it’s in there?” “There’s a special sensor inside which will immediately alert the Warehouse if the artifact is removed. The Warehouse will go into a high-security lockdown to prevent its escape. This is a case where the artifact is so dangerous on its own that it has to be stored extremely cautiously. Most of the artifacts are safe enough to store on these shelves without a problem. Those which have a higher risk of activation have special precautions to prevent their activation.” “So, these artifacts which can decapitate you or make you sadistic . . . . they won’t?” “Well, not on their own,” Megan said, as she walked out of the sector. Sarah followed quickly. “We keep these artifacts here to prevent bad people from using them. We don’t let governments, companies or heads of state in charge of the Warehouse for that reason.” Bad people . . . .? Sarah felt something nag in the very back of her head, but it was too far away to make sense. “So, there are people who use artifacts for evil purposes?” “It would be more shocking if there weren’t, to be honest. But the Warehouse is there to collect these artifacts. We might not be able to keep them away from people, but we can take them out of their hands.” Megan led them along through an aisle with food. Sarah saw food which looked like it should be long moldy or gone, and yet there it was, as fresh looking as can be. Including Nostradamus’ Cherry Jam. Should that look so fresh? And what about the Original Pizza? It looked pretty good for being so old. Soon, they arrived in an aisle with a whole bunch of parts lying in it. Sarah’s excitement grew rapidly as she realized they were scientific parts, and she ran down the aisle to look at them. “These parts . . . . are these artifacts?” “Not for the most part,” Megan said, walking down the aisle. “This is the Farnsworth Aisle, where we keep all of Philo Farnsworth’s projects. Just make sure you avoid the right side of the aisle. A lot of those things are still heavily radioactive.” “What is this?” She came to a projector-looking device. “A Transmutational Three Dimensional Camera/Projector?” “That is one of the things in this aisle that is an artifact. The camera takes images and sends them to the projector, which projects the images and solidifies them into solid objects.” “Awesome!” Sarah said, excitement building in her voice. “I had no idea that there were artifacts this cool!” “Well, it depends on what the camera capturing,” Megan said, thinking back to the stories she heard from Claudia about what happened in Univille when the Projector was active. Apparently, it was bringing movies to life in the town and was caused some trouble. ---- Several hours later, they finally made their way back to the office. They had spent over an hour browsing the Convention Aisle and the Television Section, talking about several different shows that began to pop up in Sarah’s head. By the time they had realized how long they had taken, it was almost lunchtime. And when Sarah realized she had to go to the bathroom, she found out that it isn't a good idea to run into a porta potty without looking to see whether it was a good idea or not. Being inside emptied her bladder immediately, but her clothing reeked of an overnight concert. And it was not a pleasant smell at all. The good news was that Sarah felt much more comfortable knowing that she was working in a place which was trying to help the world and protect it, and that there were great people whom she could rely on. After the Tour A couple minutes later, Megan and Sarah arrived at the B&B in the hopes of grabbing lunch. The newer Agent could see several others members of the Warehouse chatting among themselves on what appeared to be old fashioned corner booths. It reminded Sarah of the times in which she traveled to undisclosed locations in order to collect strange and ultra-dangerous items. But the Bed and Breakfast seemed to release feelings of happiness and joy instead of sadness and dread. After grabbing their lunches, the two of them sat down in a booth of their own. Once she felt more comfortable with her surroundings, and had eaten some of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Sarah decided to introduce herself to the group. A few people responded with their own names, but she could see one person sitting alone who seemed a little lonely. The young woman in question had red hair like Megan's, but with more color. She also appeared to be a young but highly eccentric inventor with an eye for computers. Oh, look! '' she thought. ''My new favorite person! Sarah walked up to her with the brightest of smiles. "Hi! Wanna sit with us?" "Sure." the woman replied as she got up from her spot. "Welcome to the Warehouse by the way. Don't worry about the dangerous parts; Mr. Grumpy Pants keeps a tight ship over here." She paused, and met Sarah's gaze. "I'm Claudia. Claudia Donovan." Sarah thought long and hard about that name, then came to a conclusion. "Yes, I know you. But, sadly, I don't know why." But then, just when she was about to say more, something clicked in Sarah's subconsciousness. It was almost as if she know someone was going to appear inside the Bed and Breakfast, but she didn't know who or why. She froze in place, her hair slightly on end, as if she had messed with the Tesla Coil. Suddenly, there appeared an older, African-American woman with her hair in a tight bun. The woman surveyed the crowd before sitting down at an empty seat. The novice Agent smiled and made her way to the woman, who seemed too overwhelmed in the paperwork she brought inside the B&B to notice. "Hello, Mrs. Fredric. Need any help?" Mrs. Fredric looked up from her work unemotionally. "And how did you know I'd be here?" "Well..." Sarah suddenly became very interested in the color of her shoes. "Your hair is sticking up on end." the Caretaker noted. "I believe that this is your 'radar' sense at work." Megan raised her eyebrows. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Radar? Sari, why didn't you tell me you were some sort of superhero?" Sarah laughed awkwardly, then cleared her throat. "Where I'm from, rookies are put through an intense psychological training process. It gives them a type of vibe-like danger awareness in the form of reflexes. Unfortunately, because of it, I will always subconsciously know where everyone is, was and will be at any given moment. Including Mrs. Fredric. "I told her of this when we first met in the Warehouse. She took me in for questioning after I proved to be quite an enigma. The first time was worse, but she didn't notice that I had sensed her. The feeling went away before she walked into the interrogation room." Sarah looked at the Caretaker, who seemed incredibly interested in the story. "I hope that I didn't cause you any trouble." "Not at all. But please be more careful with this...'ability'." Mrs. Fredric turned to the group. "I will need someone to keep an eye on Miss Holmes here. Her reflexes have proven very effective before, and could aid in keeping all Warehouse personnel safe from harm." All eyes except Sarah's turned to Claudia. With the spotlight forced on her, she accepted this 'job' of sorts. Sarah found this incredibly unnerving and shied away from the Caretaker's laser focused eyes upon her. It was as if Mrs. Fredric reminded Sarah of someone that she used to know: a power-hungry madman who would kill anyone who stood in his way. But at the same time, she seemed rather nice. There was no malice or hatred in her eyes, and no evil in her intentions. In fact, she seemed to embody the spirit of the Warehouse: emotionless but protective of all. Whether Mrs. Fredric knew of this or not didn't make itself clear in her voice or body language. "I will need to see you somewhere private," she stated to Claudia. "None of this should be taken lightly." Once again, the weird feeling took hold of Sarah's subconscious. This time, however, she took her fingers and pinched the back of her neck. The feeling jumped from her neck to her hand before vanishing altogether. By the time it was over, Mrs. Fredric was gone. Sarah only smiled to herself as she carefully filed and processed the paperwork. ---- A little while later, she came across some very strange names. They were on old files lost among the paperwork. The people- children, really- were part of something called "Project Fountain." Among the files were their birthdates, ages, addresses, the names of their parents...nothing she recognized in the slightest. But there was something oddly familiar about the kids, at least for Sarah. And the more she thought about it, the more that the world seemed so cold and distant. Autumn, ''she wanted to say, ''Fletcher, Horace, Mazie.. Their names stuck out like a sore thunb, having meant nothing to her until now. She remembered losing them: watching them suffer as strange chemicals were put into their minds and souls, watching as they took their final breaths at such a young age. All four of them were hooked up to abnormal machines and made to test all of the scientists'...aura drugs? Anti-aura medications? The exact name didn't ring a bell, but she did slightly remember what great damage they could do. "I want to see them again." she whispered without thinking. "I want to see my friends again. I want to go home." "What's the matter?" Megan asked, putting a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Are you missing someone?" ''Yes, ''she wanted to say. ''Yes, yes, yes. ''But she didn't, she couldn't. It was if her mind was as blank as an easel. She couldn't remember what they looked like, or who they were. But she knew that they were friends of hers; almost...family. "Sari?" Megan asked again. "Are you okay? You seem lost." Sarah responded by showing the other Agent the strange but depressing files. The kids' scared and crying faces- captured perfectly in black and white images- hid nothing from the reader of their stories, and added depth to their dark pasts. But the scariest thing of all wasn't that they were kidnapped and tortured by strange men with even stranger Artifacts, but why it happened in the first place. "Look at this, Megan." Sarah said, pointing to the file labeled 'Mazie'. "She was taken in 1914." "1914?" Megan looked more closely at the kid's biography, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "But Sari, that was when Warehouse 13 officially reopened after the big fire!" Sarah at once felt a slight tingling feeling in the back of her neck, as if she had heard this before. She started to skim through the girl's file, only to stop on the very last page. It was blank, except for a few notes written in a very professional handwriting. " 'Subject successful.' " Sarah read. "'Final serum inserted into bloodstream without major complications. Recreation of Caretaker connection established with minor mental issues. More information required.' " Sarah immediately turned very pale. The other three had "failed" and died of mysterious consequences. They had nothing special in them, nothing at all. But what did the note mean? And why was more information needed? ''What does that have to do with the Warehouse? '' she thought. '' Mazie did tell me about it...but why? Did she know something I didn't? Is she still alive? '' "'Caretaker connection?'" Megan asked, interrupting Sarah's disorderly train of thought. "What does that mean? And why would they want a way into the Warehouse?" The answers to both questions were somewhere in the very back of Sarah's mind. Unfortunately, she couldn't find them. ---- An Undisclosed Location Two weeks later "So, you allowed her to see those papers, despite my recommendations?" Mr. Kosan inquired. He was staying in a small apartment for the night, a nice place close to the ocean. He stood at the window, looking out at the setting sun. "I think her seeing those papers will help her recover some of her memories," Mrs. Frederic replied. She was sitting in a chair, with a cup of tea in her hand. "And this group that we thought was all captured appears to be active once again." "But how, Mrs. Frederic?" Mr. Kosan asked, his voice displaying no emotion. "I've read all of those files since you came to me last week with your theory. All of our evidence says that every member of the group was captured by the new Agents of Warehouse 13, including several Regents. You yourself even admitted that the danger was past." "Then you are also aware that Mr. Hernandez was never captured?" she asked, sipping her tea before continuing. "He was suspected to have died after jumping off that ledge into the ocean, although we never found the body. We suspected that a jump from 500 ft. up was fatal enough, especially with the sharp rocks. But one of the Agents did find signs that he might have survived by a seashell that he might have left behind on the beach nearby." "No one could have survived that fall. Not without . . . ." He paused, as he realized what she was implying. "You think he might have used an artifact to survive the fall?" "I do. We suspected that we collected all of the artifacts from the laboratory in 1914, and that he ran away with nothing. But it's possible that he had an artifact tucked away on his person. One that would let him survive the fall." "And you suspect he is involved with what Sarah has gone through?" "I'm not sure. But I do believe that something happened with her. And Regent John Parker himself told us that the aura surrounding Sarah is unnatural." "But you do realize that immortality is impossible with a drug-made solution?" Mr. Kosan said. "If it was, we wouldn't have had Caretakers die. We'd only have to put a few pills into a Caretaker's system, and they'd never perish. And yet, they still can. They can live forever, but a bullet to the head kills them all the same." "There's more than one way to achieve both eternal youth and immortality, as you should know." Mrs. Frederic sighed. "And yet, I can't help but feel that they would have figured out the former and are actively attempting to achieve the latter." Mr. Kosan finally turned to face her. A degree of concern could be read on his face. "You don't suspect they might attempt to take over the Warehouse, do you?" "Whether that goal disappeared when we captured everyone else, I don't know. However, it is possible that they are planning to take over in one key position: one that gives them much more control than any other." "You mean . . . . Caretaker?" "Yes. I believe that they may have shifted goals. If they have, the next logical step would be to develop a Caretaker with a strong bond that the Warehouse can latch onto, just like how Paracelsus latched on and increased his bond." "Mrs. Frederic, the Warehouse attempted to bond with Paracelsus because of his past connection. Claudia is going to be the next Caretaker after you are either dead or retire. That is how it works. The Warehouse has decided." "And if both Claudia and I die . . . Then what?" Mr. Kosan looked directly at her, his face back to its emotionless state. "Then we find a new Caretaker." "And that's where they'll strike. Not only do we know where they will strike, but who they will strike with." She pointed to the child's doll sitting up straight on the loveseat. It still remained the only sign- the only physical proof- that ten year-old Madeline Violet Cordova, alias Mazie, was still alive. The doll was timeworn and utterly tattered, with some parts of its body completely covered in newer, red stitches. But nonetheless, it was there, and the girl who once held it in her young hands was sadly not. "Miss Cordova is still in their possession," Mrs Fredric warned. "There is psychological proof that her mind has been twisted and bent beyond all hope of repair - just look at her doll, how bad it looks. This doll has bound itself to her, displaying her life force and mental state. Through this drug-induced insanity, she has become more powerful then every Warehouse Caretaker before her. She might not be able to become Caretaker now because of myself and Claudia's presences, but if we died, what would stop her? "If she does get her hands on the Warehouse, this power could be used to become more...connected...to it then anyone who has ever walked through its doors. On par to when Paracelsus strengthened his connection, except without the need to combine artifacts. We cannot allow anyone else to be killed by or become like her." The word "connected" was mentioned grimly, as if Mazie would be more likely to hurt the Warehouse then protect it from harm. And in all honesty, that would be exactly what would happen. Once the young girl got ahold of the Warehouse's power, she would corrupt it forever - and it would not be difficult for her to find and use several artifacts to grant her the immortality she needed to become its permanent Caretaker. Both of them knew this, but both of them knew not to dwell too much on the possibility of total Warehouse degeneration. "We have much better ways of choosing new Caretakers now, as well as higher quality security for both Regents and Agents. Nothing like what we have seen or heard of before will happen again." "And you can assure me of that, 100%?" When Mr. Kosan didn't reply, she continued. "You know as well as I do the dangers of letting this group continue their track. Even if they don't strike now, they will. Maybe in a few years. Maybe in a few decades. Perhaps during the time of Warehouse 15. But you know it will happen. It's only a matter of time." "And how do you propose we continue?" Mr. Kosan asked. "We use the single resource that they've left us since their disappearance in 1914. Sarah Holmes." "You don't even know if she's trustworthy," Mr. Kosan stated. "Her aura has been blackened, her memory wiped. Without a clear aura to read, we can't see her natural state of being. She could very well betray us." "I tested that memory wipe myself on her second day at the Warehouse," Mrs. Frederic said, as she reached over to pour herself and Mr. Kosan more tea. "Whatever they used, it's not very good. As opposed to our countless methods of permanently wiping memories, their procedure simply covers them up, locking access to those memories. Locks which can be undone, given time. Her memories will start returning. It won't be quick, necessarily. But they will return." "And were you able to see into these memories?" "Only one, which I believe to be from within the past year. This event left a scar on her mind, a deep scar which I believe avoided the memory cover due to its emotional stranglehold. She doesn't remember it because she doesn't want to - the memory is so painful that forcing her to recall it before she's ready could easily lead to her death. But I can assure you of this, Mr. Kosan. That memory is what I believe has gotten her to this point. It's why she got her memory wiped at some point after that. And it's why I don't believe she will betray us when she recovers them." "Furthermore," she added while she sat back down in her chair, " the memory contained Miss Cordova. Even if she has become insane, it should be a top priority to know the girl's whereabouts. We still haven't heard of her in years, and to finally get a glimpse of the girl she used to be through her only surviving friend has been priceless. If we knew what that person was, then we could help understand why she was chosen in the first place." Mr. Kosan sipped his tea. ". . . . You are really putting a strain on the Regents, Mrs. Frederic. We might not be allowed to do anything about it, but we still have a voice. Many of them feel you are losing your touch." "The Caretaker serves the best interests of the Warehouse. They always have, with two exceptions. Even if the Regents disagree, I must do this. The Caretaker protects the Warehouse. It is this position which keeps the Warehouse from having a breakdown. It's more important now that ever. And even if the Regents think I am losing my touch for the position - which you and I both know isn't true - I believe Claudia would behave the same way, possibly even more recklessly. She doesn't have the experience and understanding yet, and she likely wouldn't even tell you of her plans. As much as you all disagree, all Regents have come to understand at some point is that the Caretaker knows best. And sometimes we have our disagreements. Need I remind you of Flavia Prisca or Steve Balcomb? They both had plenty of issues with the Regents, and yet they were some of the best Caretakers the Warehouse has ever had." Mr. Kosan leaned back in his chair. His face showed a touch of concern once again. "I am fully aware of that, Irene. We are not going to stop you. We will offer you our assistance, however, in tracking down this group." "Don't worry, Mr. Kosan. I have informed Claudia, and she has agreed to help keep an eye on Sarah. If anything comes up that is vital information, then we will know." "And what about Agent Wilcoxson? She seems to have developed a bond with Sarah as well." "I will be speaking with her tomorrow. We need to protect Sarah, and help her uncover her memories. The faster we do this, the faster we can nip this threat in the bud." "Then I wish you luck, Irene. And please be careful. We don't want to draw any more attention to what we're going to be doing. You also wouldn't want to give the wrong impression to Sarah. If you and I can prove that we're on her side, then she'll be more apt to cooperate. Assuming that she will." ---- To be continued.